Stage names:

Nakayama Yoshio I
Nakayama Ittoku I

Other name:

Nakayama Nanshi I

Nickname: Daiya

Guild: Daikokuya

Line number: SHODAI (I)

Poetry names: Nanshi (1), Yoshio, Rikô, Risei

Existence: 1776 ~ 23rd day of the 1st lunar month of 1818

Connection:

Master: Nakayama Bunshichi II

Son: Nakayama Ittoku III

Disciple: Nakayama Nanshi II

Career:

1776 ~ 1790: born in Ôsaka. He starts his career at an early age, as a disciple of Nakayama Raisuke II, performing in kodomo shibai under the name of Nakayama Ittoku I.

2nd lunar month of 1790: Ittoku becomes zamoto and produces at the Kado no Shibai the new year drama "Keisei Fuki no Shimadai".

19th day of the 2nd lunar month of 1798: his master Nakayama Bunshichi II dies.

11th lunar month of 1799: Ittoku plays in the kaomise drama "Yunzei Tôri Yaguruma", which is produced by Fujikawa Katsujirô in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai. He also plays the role of Hanamachi in the drama "Ashiya Dôman Ôuchi Kagami"; his stage partners are Asao Tamejûrô I, Arashi Kichisaburô II, Nakamura Noshio II and Seki Sanjûrô I. The troupe moves in the 12th lunar month from the Kado no Shibai to the Kitagawa no Shibai in Kyôto to perform almost the same program.

8th lunar month of 1804: Nakayama Ittoku I takes the name of Nakayama Yoshio I at the Kado no Shibai, performing in the drama "Hade Kurabe Ise Monogatari", which is produced by Nakamura Noshio III; his main stage partners are Kataoka Nizaemon VII, Onoe Koisaburô I, Fujikawa Hachizô III, Fujikawa Tomokichi I, Nakayama Shinkurô III and Asao Tamejûrô II.

1st lunar month of 1808: premiere at the Naka no Shibai of Nagawa Tokusuke I's ni-no-kawari new year drama "Keisei Shina Sadame"; Yoshio plays the roles of the keisei Katsuragi and Kaide [casting].

10th lunar month of 1809: Yoshio plays at the Kado no Shibai the role of the courtesan Miyagino in the drama "Go Taiheiki Shiraishi Banashi"; the roles of Shinobu and Sôroku are played by Kanô Minshi I and Kataoka Nizaemon VII.

1st lunar month of 1810: premiere at the Kado no Shibai of Chikamatsu Tokuzô and Namiki Miyosuke ni-no-kawari drama "Keisei Sato no Funauta"; Yoshio plays the roles of the keisei Higaki and Ryôsuke's nyôbô Oyuki [casting].

3rd lunar month of 1810: tour in Ise with Kataoka Nizaemon VII and Nakayama Hyakka; Yoshio plays among others the roles of Otane et Nureginu in the drama "Honchô Nijûshikô".

9th lunar month of 1810: Yoshio plays at the Kado no Shibai the roles of Shizuka Gozen, Oryû/Suke-no-Tsubone and Gonta's wife Kosen in the drama "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura"; his stage partners are Kataoka Nizaemon VII (Ginpei/Tomomori, Gonta), Arashi Sangorô III (Tadanobu/the fox Genkurô) and Nakayama Hyakka (Yoshitsune).

3rd lunar month of 1812: Yoshio plays at the Kita-Horie Ichi-no-Gawa Shibai (Ôsaka) the roles of the courtesans Umegawa and Okon in the dramas "Koi Bikyaku Yamato Ôrai" and "Ise Ondo Koi no Netaba"; the roles of Umegawa's lover Chûbê and Okon's lover Mitsugi are played by Arashi Sangorô III.

9th lunar month of 1812: Yoshio plays at the Kitagawa no Shibai the role of the courtesan Umegawa in the drama "Koi Bikyaku Yamato Ôrai"; the role of Umegawa's lover Chûbê is played by Onoe Shinshichi II.

11th lunar month of 1812: Yoshio plays at the Naka no Shibai the role of Ohaya in the drama "Hirugaesu Nishiki no Tamoto", which welcomes in Ôsaka the Edo star Bandô Hikosaburô III. Yoshio also plays the roles of Kaoyo Gozen, Okaru and Oishi in "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

1st lunar month of 1813: Yoshio's rank in the Kamigata hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, is jô-jô-kichi (superior - superior - excellent) [visual].

3rd lunar month of 1813: Yoshio plays in the same theater the roles of Kiku-no-Mae and the courtesan Okon in the dramas "Ichi-no-Tani Futaba Gunki" and "Ise Ondo Koi no Netaba"; the role of Mitsugi (Okon's lover) in the latter drama is played by Nakamura Daikichi I.

8th lunar month of 1813: Yoshio plays in the same theater the roles of Chidori and Oyoshi in the drama "Hirakana Seisuiki"; the role of Genta is played by Bandô Hikosaburô III.

2nd day of the 9th lunar month of 1813: a fire breaks out in Ôsaka in a chaya near the Naka no Shibai; it partially destroys this theater. The troupe moves to the Kado no Shibai.

9th lunar month of 1813: Yoshio plays at the Kado no Shibai the roles of Yae and Tonami in the drama "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami"; the roles of Sakuramaru (Yae's husband) and Genzô (Tonami's husband) are played by Ogawa Kichitarô III and Bandô Hikosaburô III (who does his isse ichidai performance in Ôsaka).

11th lunar month of 1813: Yoshio plays in Kyôto at the Kitagawa no Shibai the roles of Kaoyo Gozen, Okaru and Osono in the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura", which celebrates the isse ichidai performance of Bandô Hikosaburô III.

2nd lunar month of 1816: Yoshio plays at the Kado no Shibai the role of the courtesan Umegawa in the drama "Koi Bikyaku Yamato Ôrai"; the role of Umegawa's lover Chûbê is played by Nakamura Utaemon III.

5th lunar month of 1816: Yoshio plays in the same theater the role of Princess Yuki in the drama "Gion Sairei Shinkôki"; the roles of Matsunaga Daizen and Konoshita Tôkichi are played by Kataoka Nizaemon VII and Nakamura Utaemon III. He also plays the role of Ôgiya Yûgiri in "Kuruwa Bunshô"; the role of Yûgiri's lover Fujiya Izaemon is played by Nakamura Utaemon III.

11th lunar month of 1816: Yoshio plays at the Kitagawa no Shibai kaomise program "Hôjô Jiraiki".

1st lunar month of 1817: Yoshio plays at the Kado no Shibai the roles of Yodomachi Gozen and Oritsu in the new year drama "Keisei Chikugo-ga-Fuchi".

5th lunar month of 1817: Yoshio plays in the same theater the roles of Koshina Danjô's wife Irie and Otane in the drama "Honchô Nijûshikô".

8th lunar month of 1817: Yoshio plays at the Tenma Tenjin no Shibai (Ôsaka) the roles of Chidori and Ôgiya Yûgiri in "Hirakana Seisuiki" and "Kuruwa Bunshô"; the role Fujiya Izaemon is played by Arashi Sangorô III.

11th lunar month of 1817: Yoshio plays at the Kitagawa no Shibai the roles of Sadaka and Omiwa in the drama "Imoseyama Onna Teikin"; the roles of Daihanji no Kiyosumi and Fukashichi are played by Arashi Sangorô III and Bandô Jûtarô. He also plays the role of Shirotae in the drama "Onna Hachinoki".

1st lunar month of 1818: Yoshio's rank in the Kamigata hyôbanki, wakaonnagata section, is (shiro)itaru-jô-jô-kichi ((white) unique - superior - superior - excellent). He is the kanjiku for all the Kamigata onnagata actors. Yoshio makes his last stage apperance, in Kyôto at the Kitagawa no Shibai, playing the roles of Tatsuta-no-Mae and Kan Shôjô in the classic "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami". He suddenly falls ill in his inn on the Kamogawa river the 21st of January and dies in the Imperial City the 23rd of January.

Comments:

Nakayama Yoshio I was a talented and popular Ôsaka onnagata actor, who achieved fame for himself in Kamigata during the 1810s. He was able to perform any kind of female role, in sewamono or jidaimono. His field of excellence was said to be nuregoto. His stage partners were the stars of the Bunka era (Nakamura Utaemon III, Arashi Sangorô III or Kataoka Nizaemon VII to name a few). It is also interesteing to note that he never try to tour in Edo and that his final rank ((shiro)itaru-jô-jô-kichi) was the same as his master's one and both actors received it the year of their death.

Nakayama Yoshio I playing the role of the courtesan Umegawa in the drama "Koi Bikyaku Yamato Ôrai", which was staged in the 2nd lunar month of 1816 at the Kado no Shibai
(print made by Shunkôsai Hokushû)

Print made by Shunkôsai Hokushû in 1816

The Nakayama Ittoku line of actors

The Nakayama Yoshio line of actors